IWD 2022: Organisations helping women across Birmingham
There are many organisations and charities across the West Midlands and the UK that are doing incredible work to support women in multiple aspects of their lives, not just on International Women's Day but every day of the year. Those highlighted below offer a range of services, including employment coaching, victim support and reproductive and mental health education:
1) Smartworks
Launched in 2016, Smartworks Birmingham was established to help bridge the gap between unemployment and job success.
Women are referred by partners such as the DWP and then attend the centre once they have a confirmed job interview. The charity provides them with an interview outfit, styled for them and theirs to keep, followed by interview coaching. The charity have supported over 1,500 women and delivered over 1,900 appointments, of which 67 per cent have gone on to get the job.
Philippa Pickavance, chairwoman of Smart Works Birmingham Charity, said: “At Smart Works Birmingham Charity, our main aim of helping women in need back into employment by providing interview-appropriate clothing and interview coaching is very well aligned to the IWD Chamber aim, as women have been particularly hard hit economically by the effects of the pandemic.
“The West Midlands Combined Authority area has some of the highest numbers of the most deprived areas in England and recent stats showed us that over the past 12 months 51 per cent of our clients had been unemployed for over a year and 33 per cent for over three years, but 71 per cent of clients got the job within a month of seeing us.
“We are proud of this small but timely intervention, and we plan to double the women we help to 1,200 women per year within the next 3 years. ”
For more information visit https://birmingham.smartworks.org.uk/
2) Birmingham & Solihull Women 's Aid (BWSA)
For over 40 years Birmingham & Solihull Women 's Aid has provided frontline domestic violence and abuse support services to women and children in the Birmingham and Solihull area.
BWSA work to ensure that no woman or child should have to live in fear, providing a special- trained team of female support workers to listen to, believe in and offer expert support to women and children affected by violence or abuse every day.
Anna Fawcett, income generation and corporate relationships manager, said: “For over 40 years, Birmingham and Solihull Women 's Aid have run domestic abuse support services for women, by women, breaking the bias by advocating for women in spaces which often ignore or hold victims responsible for their experiences.
“Where we partner with organisations, we support a culture of change and offer training to help them to understand the gendered nature of domestic abuse. Until we start from a point of understanding that misogyny exists and affects women in all aspects of life, we cannot begin to tackle the larger issues of violence. ”
For more information visit www.bswaid.org/
3) Ovacome
Ovacome is the national UK ovarian cancer charity focused on providing support and information to anyone affected by ovarian cancer. This includes people who have either been diagnosed with the disease or think that they might be at risk, as well as their friends and family and healthcare professionals.
Ovacome support around 18,000 people per year and provide a range of support services, including a telephone support line, an online forum and a support group programme. regional support and information events.
Victoria Clare, chief executive officer at Ovacome, said: “The work that Ovacome does is so important because it better prepares those affected by ovarian cancer to be able to self-advocate. By giving people up to date information in a way that they can understand they are better able to make the treatment decisions that they need to. The majority of women are diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 disease, that 's why it is so important to make sure everyone knows the signs and symptoms - so they can get an earlier diagnosis. We are at the heart of a wonderfully, supportive community and proud to be so. ”
For more information visit www.ovacome.org.uk/
4) Cysters
Cysters is a grassroots charity founded by Future Faces Chamber of Commerce committee member Neelam Heera in 2015.
Cysters is dedicated to supporting individuals with reproductive and mental health issues and educating the public so that they can make informed choices around their treatment options and challenge the cultural misogyny behind reproductive health.
Neelam Heera, founder of Cysters, said: “It important to highlight invisible illnesses, particular when they are often seen as taboo. Given the lack of representation for marginalised groups and the overwhelming health disparities we have seen during Covid for these groups, it is important now more than ever to raise awareness of invisible illnesses. ”
For more information visit www.cysters.org/